Bhubaneswar, July 16: In resolving bottlenecks faced by the steel, sponge iron, pellet and iron ore benefaction plants, a special directorate has been set up by the state government under the steel and mines department.
Till now all the benefaction plants have invested around 2 lakh crore and facilitated one lakh employment opportunities, official sources said. By inaugurating the new directorate, Prafulla Mallik, Minister of steel and mines informed, it would frame policy initiative for upgradation of the steel sector by the utilization of the untapped potential. The policy matters related to steel can also be advised by this directorate.
The directorate would be operated from the directorate of geology and special secretary of the steel and mines department has been appointed as the director in-charge. Iswar Chandra Sahoo, former top executive of the Rourkela Steel Plant has been appointed as advisor in the directorate by the state government.
Shortage of raw material has pulled down many projects to operate. Jindal Steel and Power Limited, Essar Steel, Bhushan Steel are now facing acute shortage of raw material. A number of important steel projects in Odisha have got delayed by issues like intense local protest against land acquisition and use of water, complicated taxation system and lack of basic infrastructure. Only 30 out of 49 MoUs signed by the state government has started partial production. To resolve this problem a meeting with the state government has been conducted, but no significant result is arrived yet, informed a senior executive of a steel plant.
